American rapper and businessman, Shawn Corey Carter, widely known as Jay-Z, has denied allegations of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old alongside embattled music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in 2000.
In a statement addressed to CNN, the music record executive called the allegations “so heinous that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whoever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?”
Jay-Z was the first celebrity to be accused of sexual assault in connection to Combs.
The woman who alleged Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually assaulted her in October amended her lawsuit to include allegations that Jay-Z also assaulted her at the same party.
LEADERSHIP recalls that Combs was indicted on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and prostitution-related charges. Combs pleaded not guilty to the charges and has denied all wrongdoing in roughly 30 civil lawsuits that have been filed against him.
The woman, who is identified as a Jane Doe, said she was 13-year-old at the time she was allegedly assaulted by Combs and Jay-Z at an after-party following the Video Music Awards in 2000. The woman alleged she began to feel woozy after consuming a drink at the party and wandered into a nearby bedroom. The woman alleged Jay-Z raped her first, followed by Combs. The woman said she hit Combs and ran out of the party, according to the amended lawsuit.
Jay-Z was identified in the initial lawsuit as Celebrity A.
According to the lawsuit, the Doe’s attorneys reached out to Jay-Z to request “a mediation to resolve this matter.”
“Upon present information and belief, Jay-Z responded to the said letter by not only filing an utterly frivolous lawsuit but also by orchestrating a conspiracy of harassment, bullying, and intimidation against Plaintiff’s lawyers, their families, employees, and former associates in an attempt to silence Plaintiff from naming Jay-Z herein. This effort was meant to scare Plaintiff and to discredit her counsel. That effort failed. Indeed, Plaintiff chose to file this amendment as a result of the egregious conduct perpetuated by Carter,” according to the lawsuit.
In his response sent to CNN on Sunday, addressed to Doe’s attorney, Jay-Z called the mediation request a “blackmail attempt.” He also said this lawyer, “who I have done a bit of research on, seems to have a pattern of these types of theatrics!”
In a statement from Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee on Saturday, he wrote, “The pleading speaks for itself. This is a very serious matter that will be litigated in court.”
Jay-Z’s wife, Beyonce was also reached out to for comments on the development.
Jay-Z added in his statement that his “only heartbreak” is for his family: “My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people. I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age.”
CNN reported in November that an anonymous male celebrity filed a lawsuit against the Texas attorney representing the Doe alleging he was the victim of an extortion scheme.
The celebrity accused Buzbee and his firm of “shamelessly attempting to extort exorbitant sums from him or else publicly file wildly false horrific allegations against him.”
Attorneys for the unnamed celebrity claimed further that Buzbee had “threatened to unleash entirely fabricated and salacious allegations of sexual assault” that included “multiple instances of rape of a minor, both male and female” if their client “refuses to comply with their demands.”
Buzbee denied the extortion claims against him, in an Instagram post in which he wrote that his firm “won’t allow the powerful and their high-dollar lawyers to intimidate or silence sexual assault survivors,” and in a statement to CNN.
“If you are trying to hide your identity and you claim you did nothing wrong, doesn’t seem very smart to take this approach,” Buzbee told CNN in an email at the time. “We will address it in due course.”
“I have confidence that with full public disclosure, all of this will sort itself out,” Buzbee wrote.
On Sunday, Buzbee responded on social media to Jay-Z’s statement, saying that the alleged victim “never demanded a penny from him,” claiming they only sought confidential mediation. Buzbee added, “She is emboldened. I’m very proud of her resolve.”